h his wife for three weeks.

Upon his return we discussed our future arrangements, and agreed to
become partners for the purpose of securing and working patents for
various machines which we had studied upon Mars; and this has proved a
lucrative business for us, besides supplying our engineers and
manufacturers with greatly improved machinery.

Ever since our return home we have eagerly read all the scientific news
concerning Mars that has been published, for we were anxious to learn
whether there had been any verification of the Professor's forecasts as
to what was likely to be seen from the earth at the opposition of Mars
in 1909. The result is very gratifying to us, not only as proving the
correctness of the Professor's pronouncements, but also as testifying to
the keen-sightedness of some of our astronomers and their carefulness
and accuracy as observers; though, of course, there are still
divergences of opinion as to the meaning of what has been seen.

[Illustration: _Drawn by T.E.R. Phillips_ Plate XV

MARS, AS SEEN THROUGH A 12-INCH TELESCOPE ON 16TH AUGUST, 1909

The south polar snow-cap is seen at the top, and as it is early June on
this part of Mars, the snow-cap has become small. The dark line across
it is a wide rift, the ice having commenced to break up at this part;
and the dark shading round it is water from the melting snow. The
circular light area near the centre is "Hellas," and the dark
wedge-shaped area is "Syrtis Major." The protuberance usually seen on
the eastern side of Syrtis Major has this year almost disappeared, and
but little detail is visible anywhere.]

For instance, M. Antoniadi, of Juvisy Observatory, near Paris, has
published a very interesting account of his own observations with the
fine Meudon refractor, which has an object glass 32.7 inches in
diameter; and he has also furnished several beautifully executed
drawings of what he has seen. The most noticeable new features observed
were two large detached pieces of the south polar snow-cap, the altered
shape of the Solis Lacus and other dark areas, numerous dark rounded
spots on the dark areas, much detail along the lines of the canals, and
the observation of scattered markings instead of lines.

M. Antoniadi lays great stress on the advantages of large telescopes;
and, whilst making frank admission that the drawings of Professor Lowell
show the outlines of the Martian details more accurately than the
drawings of any other observ